November 23, 2022 10:00am by David Farrar

Farewell to Wira

Audrey Young has written an excellent summary of the recent memorial service to Sir Wira Gardiner, which I attended.

Hundreds of people packed St Paul’s Cathedral in Wellington to hear tributes to Sir Wira Gardiner, including from Sir Bill English, Hone Harawira and Gardiner’s widow, Hekia Parata.

I can’t imagine there is anyone else in New Zealand who would have both Hone Harawira and Bill English speaking at their memorial service. I reflected that it summed up Wira’s amazing ability to work constructively with everyone to serve the country.

His last prominent public role was as chief executive of Oranga Tamariki, a job that Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes described as one of the toughest in the country and which he had agreed to do at the age of 77 as a service to his country.

Most people would be happily retired at 77, but Wira took on the job through a sense of responsibility to his mokapuna.

Those who came to honour him included former Prime Minister Jim Bolger, former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, Willie Apiata VC, Supreme Court Judge Joe Williams, Labour Ministers Kelvin Davis and Willie Jackson, National leader Christopher Luxon, former National Party president Michelle Boag, former solider and public servant Leith Comer, former broadcaster Derek Fox, spy chief Rebecca Kitteridge, and GCSB chief Andrew Hampton who worked for Gardiner as a junior public servant in Te Puni Kokiri.

Hone Harawira said Gardiner had been an exceptional man who had been confident in his ability to front anyone – tribal leaders, gangsters, politicians, whanau, activists and treat them all with the sincerity and dignity.

I don’t think anyone phased Wira.

Gardiner served in Vietnam and retired from the Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The NZ Army band played at the service and the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment Colour was taken to the front of the cathedral by members of the 1st Battalion.

The military aspect of the service was superb. Wira’s military service shaped him into the man he was.